My first encounter with an evolution denier happened in my late teens. I was talking to a new acquaintance. In telling him things about myself I made a passing comment that took for granted that the theory of evolution was as much a fact as things scientific ever are. My new acquaintance stunned me by telling me he did not believe in evolution. To me this was the equivalent of denying that the theory of gravitation was true. I was shocked that someone could refuse to accept a theory that has stood the test of time since 1859. This person was obviously smart yet his faith seemed to me to be in direct conflict with reality.

Later in life I came across Niven’s Laws the 14th of which seems to cover this: